Jackson hosts families in need

It was a touching scene before tipoff Friday at the AT&T Center, where Spurs forward Stephen Jackson met with a pair of local families he hosted for the Hornets game.

In addition to providing tickets and a pregame meal, Jackson surprised the Mora and Martinez families — with six and seven children, respectively — with gift cards to Best Buy and HEB.

At one point, one of the smaller children wheeled back and gave Jackson a huge hug after getting her gift card, worth $100. Jackson then signed autographs and took pictures with the family before heading back to the locker room.

“It means a lot,” mother Erin Mora said. “We’re huge fans of the Spurs. But I think the smiles on their faces, my kids’ faces, is what did it. When it comes to my kids, they mean everything to me. That’s the only thing I ask for, every day, is to see a smile on their face. If that’s what I get, that’s all I need. I thank Mr. Jackson.”

For Jackson, it was the continuation of a tradition he began several years ago.

“This isn’t something I do for the media, I do it out of the goodness of my heart every year whether I’m in San Antonio, Africa, Mars,” he said. “I’m just happy to be doing it in my home state of Texas. I’ve been there. I’ve had Christmases that I woke up and I only had one gift, or no gifts. So that’s my holiday gift for myself.”

The gathering was one of several holiday functions for the Spurs. Matt Bonner was slated to serve meals at the HEB Feast of Sharing on Saturday afternoon, while Tiago Splitter was scheduled to serve as Santa Claus at an event later in the day.